Harris Lebus was the ‘largest furniture factory in the world’. It opened in 1901. The front entrance was in the middle of the green at the top of the estate. You can still see the original wall and railings as well as one iron gatepost.

At first it filled the area between the railway and Jarrow Road on one side and Montrose Walk on the other. There was a saw mill, machine shop, parts store, makers and polishing workshops. Machines were powered by a large stationary steam engine which sat right where the school is today. Wood came by barges along the canal and was carried along what is now Yarmouth Crescent to be stored.

By the 1950’s the factory covered the whole area of our estate. It also expanded into what is now Hale Village and there was even a conveyor running through a tunnel under Ferry Lane to take furniture into the huge warehouse.

There are two books written about the Harris Lebus and its furniture. They are available online from Libri Publishing and Amazon or you can order from any bookstore.

Harris Lebus: A Romance with the Furniture Trade  …https://bit.ly/3DtSpD5

Loving Lebus: Looking into Lebus Furniture … https://bit.ly/3pWyY2L